In the electronic age, the number of keys, whether physical, electronic, or cybernetic, has drastically increased. For example, a given person may carry house keys, car keys, work keys, and/or the like. Additionally, such person may have one or more radio-frequency identification (RFID) badges, access cards, and/or automated teller machine (ATM) cards providing for access to bank lobbies. Further, passwords may be included on phones, computers, online and other accounts being used for any number of purposes. Each of these present security weaknesses. For example, regarding physical keys, possession of the physical key gains access. However, if the physical key is lost or stolen, not only is your access limited, but an outside party may now have access to your house, car or office. In another example, cybernetic keys, such as passwords, may be selected for ease in remembrance. Yet, such passwords may be easily determined and/or hacked. Additionally, use of the same password over multiple accounts may leave such accounts compromised in such an event.
Several products on the market today attempt to address these issues. For example, “master password” services provide unique, hard to hack passwords for accounts, storing them in an encrypted format in a “password vault” accessible using a “master password.” While this may solve the issue of remembering multiple unique passwords and use of a sole password for multiple accounts, if the master key is ever compromised, all passwords may need changing. Further, a sole “master password” for entrance into the vault provides a point of weakness. Such “master password” systems only involved cybernetic passwords, and do not provide any system for physical and/or electronic keys.
With the growing number of electronic lock capabilities for cars, homes, offices, and the like, reliance on physical keys may be decreasing. As such, systems currently available may provide a means to store multiple electronic keys on a single device. This may be beneficial for convenience as it obviates the needs to carry multiple key fobs, access cards, RFID tags, and/or the like. Again, however, such systems present security vulnerability as possession of a master key gains access and if the master key is lost and/or stolen, an outside party may now have access to all electronic locks.
Multi-factor security may be used to solve these issues. Such three security factors may often be described as “what you have,” “what you know,” and “who you are.” The “what you have” factor refers to possession (e.g., having a physical key granting access). The “what you know” factor refers to something known (e.g., a password, PIN, key phrase, and/or the like, granting access). The “who you are” factor refers to biometrics (e.g., a fingerprint scan, retinal scan, and the like, granting access). Generally, a multi-factor solution may utilize two of the three security factors, with some systems incorporating all three.
Smartphones have recently added two factor authentication. For example, some forms of keys (e.g., credit cards) may require both possession of a phone and a fingerprint scan with each transaction (e.g., transaction at a contactless payment credit card terminal).